By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 25: The Centre appears to be considering the demand for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule but is apparently silent on a similar demand for the Garo language.
According to a notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs, there are demands for the inclusion of 38 languages, including Khasi, in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. There is no word about the Garo language.
These languages are: Angika, Banjara, Bazika, Bhojpuri, Bhoti, Bhotia, Bundelkhandi, Chhattisgarhi, Dhatki, English, Garhwali (Pahari), Gondi, Gujjar/Gujjari, Ho, Kachachhi, Kamtapuri, Karbi, Khasi, Kodava (Coorg), Kokborok, Kumaoni (Pahari), Kurak, Kurmali, Lepcha, Limbu, Mizo (Lushai), Magahi, Mundari, Nagpuri, Nicobarese, Pahari (Himachali), Pali, Rajasthani, Sambalpuri/Kosali, Shaurseni (Prakrit), Siraiki, Tenyidi, and Tulu.
The document said that as the evolution of dialects and languages is dynamic, and influenced by socio eco-political developments, it is difficult to fix any criterion for the languages – whether to distinguish them from dialects or include them in the Eighth Schedule.
“Thus, both attempts, through the Pahwa (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra (2003) Committees to evolve such fixed criteria have not borne fruit. The government is conscious of the sentiments and requirements for inclusion of other languages in the Eighth Schedule and will examine the requests keeping in mind these sentiments, and other considerations such as the evolution of dialects into language, widespread use of a language, etc.,” the document said.
The Eighth Schedule currently has 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution. Sindhi was added in 1967.
Three more languages – Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali – were included in 1992. Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali were added in 2004.